Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Al-Bar stressed here on Saturday the importance of promoting economic growth with a focus on poverty eradication and employment generation, pursue knowledge through higher education and acquire expertise in science and technology. This came in Al-Bar's speech before the World Islamic Economic Forum being hosted by Malaysia, The Kuwaiti news agency "KUNA" reported. Al-Bar said it is also significant for the Muslim countries to improve health delivery systems and continue to develop the human resources besides encouraging trade and commercial activities among OIC member states. "It is incumbent upon the Ummah (Muslim community) to continue to play a more prominent role in the global economy and this would engage the Ummah with the rest of the world and lead to improved awareness of Islam's universal values. "The private sector, as the engine of growth, needs to be encouraged and rewarded with incentives and facilities to increase its contribution towards socio-economic developments", he added. The Foreign Minister called for a collective action by the member states to urgently undertake joint and concreted action to address "our economic conditions and build economic infrastructures to alleviate our plight". Kuwait's delegation is headed by Minister of Planning and State Minister for Administrative Development Affairs Dr. Masouma Al-Mubarak.
